The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya Review.
All in all this is an excellent package, and an intelligent and unabashedly metaphysical take on the high school genre that will reward multiple viewings, not to mention interpretations.

I’d been obsessed with tracking this one
down ever since reading the following description on the Madman website
a few months ago:

‘On December 17th, Kyon's life was
abnormal: he spent his free time with an alien robot (Yuki), a time
traveler (Mikuru), and an ESPer (Koizumi), trying to keep a headstrong
classmate (the eponymous Haruhi) entertained so that she wouldn't
unintentionally destroy the world. On December 18th, Kyon's life
becomes...normal. Haruhi has disappeared as if she never attended their
high school. Yuki is now a shy bookworm, Mikuru has lost all memory of
Kyon, Koizumi is nowhere to be found, and only Kyon can see that things
have changed. Now he has to decide whether he'll fix it or not.’

Now who could stumble across something like
that and not be intrigued? I’d also read that those unfamiliar with the
light novels would find the animated film’s storyline a little
bewildering in places and after having watched it I would certainly
concur, but allowing for this and one or two other provisos Haruhi
does offer a multifaceted and rather intriguing viewing experience.
The animation is strong without being anything out of this world
(especially with recent Madhouse fare such as Trigun: Badlands Rumble
setting the benchmark so high in this regard) although picture
quality is pristine, and the voicework is also excellent on both the
English and Japanese 5.1 TrueHD mixes.

Another of the set’s real drawcards, aside
from the solid feature itself, is the inclusion of over two hours worth
of bonus content on a seperate disc, something of a luxury for anime
fans this side of the pond. In this regard we are treated to multiple
behind the scenes featurettes, commercials and TV spots, Stage Greetings
from the Tokyo and Kyoto screenings, and more. All in all this is an
excellent package, and an intelligent and unabashedly metaphysical take
on the high school genre that will reward multiple viewings, not to
mention interpretations.